Recovering from Success: Innovation and Technology Management in Japan

D. Hugh Whittaker and Robert E. Cole

Abstract

How did Japan fall from challenger to US hegemonic leadership in the high tech industries in the 1980s to stumbling giant by the turn of the last century? What did it do about it? This book examines the challenges faced by Japan's high tech companies through successful emulation of some of their key practices by foreign competitors and the emergence of new competitive models linked to open innovation and modular production. High tech companies were slow to respond, relying at first on formulae which had worked in the past, but in a new environment, some of these traditional strengths had now b ... More

How did Japan fall from challenger to US hegemonic leadership in the high tech industries in the 1980s to stumbling giant by the turn of the last century? What did it do about it? This book examines the challenges faced by Japan's high tech companies through successful emulation of some of their key practices by foreign competitors and the emergence of new competitive models linked to open innovation and modular production. High tech companies were slow to respond, relying at first on formulae which had worked in the past, but in a new environment, some of these traditional strengths had now become sources of weakness. Stability and success, moreover, had decreased their appetite for risk. Early in the new century, however, there were signs of a more concerted response, which opened up past practices to scrutiny and modification through selective learning and adaptation of the new models. The MOT (management of technology) movement provided a vehicle for this change. It was linked, in turn, to efforts to change the national innovation system, giving universities a more central role and encouraging spin-offs and startups. The book features contributions from scholars and practitioners who have distinctive insights into the nature of these challenges and responses. It includes introductory and concluding chapters with a discussion of knowledge management implications, a ‘reformed’ Japanese model, and a possible dual innovation system.

Toshiro Kita

D. Hugh Whittaker and Robert E. Cole

End Matter

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